A PERFECT SILHOUETTE

August 2018

When taking this shot, I set my camera to Live View and raised it as high as possible above my head. Why? Because with the camera lower down (at my eye level) the heads of the two fishermen were in line with the black strip of land in the background. With both the people and the land appearing as a silhouette, the heads of the men were lost against the background, leaving me with a ‘headless silhouette.’

Raising the camera higher changed the angle and put the water – not the land – behind the heads, completing the human figures in the silhouette.

Moral of the story: if you are going to use a silhouette in a photo, make sure your entire subject is outlined against a brighter background. Whether your figure is seen against the sky or – as in this case – the water – make sure your ENTIRE figure appears. Avoid confusing the image by having one silhouette merging with another. The same goes for trees, wildlife etc.